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SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
Complete walkthrough for Normal and Hard modes as well as Time Attack
version 1.2
by hpsolo
(The names of the colossi are taken from Dengeki PlayStation Magazine)
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UNDERSTANDING THE CONTROLS
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BASIC CONTROLS
- SQUARE: attack; charges up strength
- R1: squat (to rest), grab
- TRIANGLE: jump
- CIRCLE: use equipped item (with a sword, it locates the next colossus or the
weak points of a colossus during battle; with bare hands and at a save point
you will get the option to save)
- X: calls your horse
- R1+TRIANGLE: forward roll
- L1: place zoomed camera behind the head of your character
- L2: place unzoomed camera behind your character
- R2: zoom in slightly
- right joystick: camera
- left joystick: movement of character
- direciton pad: (left/right) changes weapons
- R1+joystick (while under water): swim under water; slightly faster than
normal swimming
AGRO, YOUR HORSE
Your horse can be a bit tough to handle at first. However, after a little bit
of riding, you'll soon find him very manageable.
- SADDLE UP: press triangle when standing next to the horse to hop onto
him
- JUMPING SADDLE UP: while running toward the horse, press triangle to
jump, and hold down R1 (you must be near its side to do this)
- SPEED UP: press X to speed up; if you hold down the X button, you
will gradually reach maximum riding speed
- SLOWING DOWN: press down on your joystick
- IMMEDIATE STOP: press down on your joystick and press and hold X
- SHARP TURN: press back and left/right on the joystick to make a sharp
turn while at a standstill
- LEAPS: while at high speed, run toward a ledge (if it's low enough, you
will leap with your horse)
- DISMOUNT: press triangle
- JUMPING DISMOUNT: while riding at a fast speed, press triangle (you can
vary your jump with the joystick; e.g. do a backflip)
- TURNING: turning with your horse is done with relative motion; that is,
pressing right on the joystick makes a right turn relative the rider
(i.e. you will not necessarily go to the right side of your screen);
press left to turn left, press right to turn right -- but be aware that
left and right are the rider's left and right, not the screen's left
and right
- RIDING WHILE STANDING: hold R1 and press and hold the up direction on
the joystick; hold R1 and press down to duck
WEAPONS
You have two weapons at the start of the game: a sword and bow. They are
really only useful in battle, though there are side quests you can do that
require them.
- CHANGING WEAPONS: press left or right on the direction pad
- LOCATING COLOSSI: equip your sword and press and hold the O button; you
must be in sunlight; the rays reflecting off your sword will either be
dispersed, or they will converge to a point; the point of convergence
is in the direction of the next colossus (NOTE: IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THERE
ARE NATURAL BARRIERS BETWEEN YOU AND THE NEXT LOCATION, SO YOU MAY HAVE
TO GET THERE IN A LESS-THAN-DIRECT WAY)
- ATTACKING: press the square button
- CHARGED PLUNGES: when attacking a colossus, hold R1 to kneel or lower your
body toward the target; pressing he square button once charges up your
attack; pressing square again will release the charge and plunge it into
your target for much greater damage
- AUTO-AIMING WITH THE BOW: press R1 and hold down square to auto-aim toward
the colossus; adjust your aim (fine-tune) by using the joystick
- SHOOTING ARROWS: works the same way as charged plunge attacks; hold down
square with the bow equipped to charge your shot; release square to fire
GRIP AND STAMINA
The pink circle at the bottom right of your screen is your grip/strength guage.
When it completely shrinks, you can no longer grab/hold onto things. When you
are charging up an attack, a white translucent circle grows from the center
to indicate the strength of your attack. A similar circle indicates how much
strength goes into your jump if you hold down the triangle button.
If you should lose health or grip, you can quickly regain both by squatting
down (often by holding down R1). Doing nothing also works, but your meters
replenish much more slowly. If you are grabbing onto a colossus, but are flat
relative to the ground, your grip will not decrease.
IMPROVING YOUR GRIP
Your grip guage increases after defeating each colossus (as does your health
meter). You can further increase the grip guage by kill white-tailed lizards
found near save points and examing their bodies.
SAVING YOUR GAME
Unequip your weapons, and press O while in front of a small shrine (several
are scattered throughout the land).
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LOCATING AND FIGHTING EACH COLOSSUS
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COLOSSUS #1 (F-5; ground battle)
Valus - The Minotaur
The first colossus is located due south of the temple. When you head south, you
will eventually reach a wall. Look around for a few vines growing on the rock
and climb them. Make your way up to find the giant.
To start the battle, you need to grab the colossus' attention. Shoot an arrow
at him and he will come after you. Next run behind its left leg and hop onto
its calf muscle. Plunge your sword into the glyph located there. Keep attacking
this spot until you get a cutscene showing the colossus falling onto all four.
Take this oppurtunity to hop up onto its rear and climb up to the platform. You
should rest if your grip is low (just crouch; you'll auto-grab a ledge should
he knock you off balance). Once rested, make your way up to the top of the head
and you should see a glyph. It is the only one so just work away at it.
Hard Mode: In hard mode, there are two glyph locations. One is on the head, and
the other is located on the tricep muscle of the right arm. To reach the second
glyph, just jump from the second set of platforms on his back onto the arm (you
should wait for him to stop moving before making this leap.
COLOSSUS #2 (F-3; outdoor battle)
Quadratus - Taurus Major
Head north of the temple. There are two bridges (if you check your map). Take
the one leading north. You will get a cutscene after crossing the bridge that
shows you where to go (take note of the giant gate at the bottom). Head to the
giant gate to trigger the fight (just hug your right even after you leave the
ramp).
There are two weak points: the head and the tail, both on top of the colossus.
To get onto the colossus you must equip your bow. Stand in front of the it
and have your bow ready to fire. Its front legs will rise -- aim for the under
side of one of the feet (it should be lit) and it will fall onto that leg.
Go to the leg you shot and hop onto it; climb up this leg to find a ledge
you can use for resting. Once rested to full, latch onto the colossus and
head toward the hind leg. You will likely be low on your grip gauge; it's
fairly easy to balance on top of the colossus to regain your grip guage if
you need to. Go ahead and attack the glyph at the rear. You should be able
to reduce the hit points down by about half. Then move toward the head; one
side will be much easier traverse so take that side. Finish up by attacking
the glyph at the head.
Hard Mode: There are now three glyphs. I found the third glyph located on the
left side of the colossus between his two left legs.
COLOSSUS #3 (E-2; outdoor platform battle)
Gaius - Earth Knight
Head north of the temple, and take the bridge that leads north. Continue
northwest around the canyon, but stay in the E column on your map (i.e. go
north of the canyon. Near the top left of E-3 is an entrance up into the
mountains. Take this path and all right turns and you should see the small
cutscene indicating you're at the right place. Swim toward the ramp that is
sticking out of the water. Climb to the top and jump diagonally toward the
leaves sticking out of the nearby column. Go around so that your back is to
the larger structure and use a reverse jump to hop up there. Move counter-
clockwise and jump toward the steps. Head up and trigger the next battle.
First lure the colossus slightly away from the center of the field. Then
run to the center and stand on the raised, circular area found there. Try
to make the colossus attack with his right arm (slamming it onto you). Just
before the attack lands, get out of the way so that it smacks that circular
area -- this breaks off some of its armor on the right arm as seen in the
cutscene. Now, get it to smash you (not a vertical smash) and then hop up
onto the right arm and make your way up to the head. Attack the glyph there
to reduce its health down to half. Then move to his back and try to slide
down his back. Just press and release R1 slowly. If you do it correclty
you will land on the platform around its waist. Move toward its navel to
find the other glyph. Finish it off. If you don't make it in one trip, you
can hop onto the midsection from its right arm.
Hard Mode: There are three glyphs on this colossus as well. The first two
are just as in normal mode. The third spot is the tricep of the left arm.
You can reach it by jumping from the platform near at his waistline.
COLOSSUS #4 (G-5; outdoor battle)
Phaedra - Equus Prime
Head slightly south and then due east of the temple. Take the path that goes
up toward the mountains. It eventually takes you to a field with four hills,
each of which has an entrance. Take note of these hills and entrances. To
get down to the field below, follow the ledge on your right. Keep exploring
the field (use your sword if you need to) and you will find the fourth
colossus.
Once the battle is triggered, head to the farthest hill and wait for it to
come to you. Once it appears to be above the hill, drop down and go inside
the tunnel below the hill. Wait there until all the loud booming has stopped
(indicating that the colossus is no longer moving). Once the loud boom has
silenced, run to the exit corresponding to the opposite hill. Come out at
this opposite side and peek around to see if the colossus has hunkered over
the first hill. If so, run toward him and jump and latch onto its tail. Go
up its back toward its neck to find a weak point. Stab once there and the
colossus will lower its head, allowing you to slide down toward the tip of
its head where the glyph can be found. Stab here to kill it. If you fall
off, just repeat the steps above.
Hard Mode: Again, three glyphs. One located at the head, and the remaining
two are located at the shoulders of the two front legs.
COLOSSUS #5 (H-4; air battle above water)
Avion - Delta Phoenix
Start out like you did for the fourth colossus (east of the temple). If you
look at your map, you'll want to take the path that is just slightly north
of that for the fourth battle. You'll eventually take a path with a canyon
to one side and rocks to the other. Keep traveling east and take the pass
located at the middle between column G and H on your map. The pass opens
up to an area with water and many tall pillars. Look directly in front of
you into the water, and you should see a spot near the foundation under
which you can swim. Once you swim through, scale the wall in front of you.
Ran across the platform and a cutscene will start. Now drop down into the
water and swim toward the colossus. You will pass three stone pillars whose
tops are just above the water. Stand on the center one and begin shooting
arrows at the colossus to make it attack you. As it flies at you, be ready
to jump and grab onto the shoulder section of its wing. Now the fun begins.
Try to keep the camera angled so that it faces the direction in which you
fly. This will help you get an idea of when you can move about and when
you should hold on. If it looks like a wall is coming up, then get ready
to hang on since the colossus will make its turn. Anyway, once you're on
the giant beast, the three glyphs can be found at the tip of each wing, and
at the tail.
Hard Mode: No new glyph locations, however if you stay near its front, it
will flap much more than in normal mode. As far as the two glyphs located
at the wing tips are concerned, just stab once (fully charged plunge if
you can) and make your way back toward where the tail starts to rest your
guage. Then make your way back out onto the wing tip. Otherwise, you will
be flung around too much and lose lots of grip guage just from trying to
hang on.
COLOSSUS #6 (D-6; dungeon battle)
Barba - The Goliath
Head soutwest from the temp into the woods at E-5. From the entrance to
the woods (use your map), head due west. I found it easier to go on foot
and not use my horse (he gets stuck easily in this section). Eventually you
cannot head west anymore; look to your right (north) and you should see a
large pass heading down. (Now call your horse if you're on foot.) Now move
toward D-6. There should be a giant gate at D-6; underneath the gate is a
pathway inside. Once inside, you will see a huge open room. Make your way to
the bottom and start the next battle.
Run quickly to the opposite side and hop over the walls. There are small
platforms to help you hop over the walls. At the far end is a safe area to
use as a resting spot. Wait there and eventually the colossus will hunker
down to peek at you. Use this opportunity to grab its beard and climb up to
its head. One glyph appears at the top of its head. Reduce its life down to
the halfway mark. Then locate the second glyph on the lower left back (you
can just slide down its back and quickly relatch onto its back with R1).
Hard Mode: There are three glyphs. The first two are the same as in normal
mode. The third is located on the back of the left hand. You'll have to
jump onto his hand after making him stoop down and look into the safe
alcove.
COLOSSUS #7 (D-1; water battle)
Bydrus - Sea Dragon
This guy is a tad tricky. First, hop into the water and stay put. Eventually
the giant will surface near you. Swim along with it when it appears close
to the surface. Soon it will pass you while surface; latch onto its tail.
As soon as you resurface, immediately make your way toward the first orange
spike protruding from the back. Do NOT cross into the orange patch near the
spike yet. Wait for the next resurfacing, and go right toward the spike;
find the weak point and stab it quickly (don't bother with charging up). If
you stay on the orange spot too long, you will take damage (don't worry, it
won't kill you but be aware that you will take damage each time you disable
an orange spike). Chances are you will have to let go after each spike as
the colossus dives deeper down into the water. I recommend just hopping of
the colossus after you disable each spike to avoid taking more damage and
to speed its resurfacing. Repeat two more times. After all three spikes are
disabled, it is safe to move toward the head. Here, just keep attacking the
glyph until it's dead.
Hard Mode: Nothing new here, except that the electric shocks do massive
damage if you're not careful. A half-charged attack should quickly take out
the spikes.
COLOSSUS #8 (G-6; caged battle)
Kuromori - Wall Shadow
Walk toward the area where the walls have been partially destroyed. Look
for the colossus in the pit. Fire an arrow at it to get it to come toward
you. Its attack is in the form of an electric ball that explodes into
an electrical cloud. Just wait until it climbs near you. Then run away from
its and and locate its underbelly showing through one of the windows. Fire
as many arrows as you can at its underbelly (you know you've hit it when a
splash of shadowy substance gushes out). It will fall down belly-up. Hop
down (if you are near the destroyed walls, you can quickly hop down the
the floors below). Find the glyph on its belly and attack it. You have time
for no more than 3 fully charged attacks with your sword before it rights
itself up. I would play it safe and just go for two. Repeat until it dies.
Another method is to shoot an arrow at him. Just dodge his ranged attack
and note when he starts to climb. As he is climbing, run down the steps
toward the first or ground floor. Also try to move to the opposite side.
This gives you a chance to shoot out any two of its legs. Once two of the
four legs are shot out, he will fall. Quickly run out toward the center of
the arena and hop onto its belly (you have to climb from the tail end).
Hard Mode: In hard mode, this guy is super annoying. He is very fast, and
his electric clouds are much wider (more range). They also drain your
health extremely quickly. The same strategy is needed here. After clearing
the first glyph, he becomes even quicker. To defeat this guy, you must NOT
be greedy. For the first half of the fight, you can get up to three stabs
in, but I recommend no more than two. The reason is that if he manages to
get up, he will likely crush you -- and that means instant death (you will
take a huge beating; sometimes you can avoid it by rolling out of the way,
but this is pretty tough to do.) During the second phase, do one full
plunge and then quickly jump off him.
Tips: It is possible to safely jump all the way from the top floor down to
the first floor. When you jump from one of the open areas, just hold down
R1 and press the joystick toward the walls. If you do it right, you will
grab onto a ledge, or the floor below and not take damage. You can use
this to quickly get down to the colossus while it's on its back without
taking too much time.
COLOSSUS #9 (E-3; outdoor battle with geysers)
Basaran - Storm Echo
Ride Agro and lure the colossus over one of the geysers (marked by a large
black circle). There are three to use. I just ride Agro with the geyser in
between me and the colossus to lure him onto it. Once he gets close, I just
circle closer toward the colossus. Always be in motion, or his ranged shots
will knock you off your horse for some massive damage. At some point, the
geyser will push the colossus up and onto its side. You can speed this up
if you also shoot at the feet of the colossus (like in the second battle).
Once its knocked onto its side, use its belly to climb up onto the side
that is not touching the ground. Wait there until the colossus gets up and
make sure you're holding R1 (so you don't slide off). You will be safely
placed onto the rim of its shell once it's back up to a standing position.
Head toward the tail to find a path up its back and toward the head. Locate
the glyph on the head, and attack it there until it dies.
Hard Mode: Same strategy
COLOSSUS #10 (E-4; sand-pit battle)
Dirge - Sand Tiger
Ride Agro and wait until the head of the colossus surfaces from the sand.
You will need to hold R1 the entire time you ride, as well as hold down
the X button to go at maximum speed (Agro will do a pretty decent job of
auto-navigating) once you've seen the colossus surface. Shoot an arrow
at the colossus' eyes. It will be partially blided and ram into a wall,
knocking its back half up and out of the sand. Take this moment to find
the glyph on its back and attack this spot. You may have to use two rounds
to clear this fight.
Hard Mode: Same strategy.
Tips: When being chased and trying to shoot the eye, you will have a much
easier time if you press and hold R1 so that you are turned around on the
horse. Now release R1 and aim manually. If you continue holding R1, the
crosshairs will "bounce" back to the center if you release the joystick.
By not holding down R1, the crosshair is fixed at the spot you leave it.
If you need to rest, just run to one of the tall pillars and rest near its
base.
COLOSSUS #11 (F-1; temple and outdoor battle)
Celosia - Flame Guardian
Ride all the way north of the temple, and you will find a large pit in the
ground. Just to the east side of this giant pit is a place to descend down
(you cannot take your horse). At the bottom, swim across the pool, and go
inside the temple at the end of the ramp. Eventually you will find a room
with four torches lit. Jump onto this small area and trigger this fight.
NOTE: This guy is FAST!!! Use forward rolls to quickly dodge its fast
lunge attacks. Once you locate the torch stands, you can safely hide in
the nook right next to the stands should you need to regain health. And
if you get knocked down, you can quickly get back up by rotating or just
shaking the joystick in opposite directions.
Hop onto one of the torch stands and wait for the colossus to ram it. A
torch will fall down. Wait for the colossus to ram again, and hop down as
it is about to hit the torch stand. Quickly grab the torch and hold it up
with the circle button (make sure to face the colossus). Now, try to get
it to back out of the temple out into the open. Just hold the torch up and
let it back up; keep moving toward it and holding up your torch (it will
go out, so you may have to try this from a torch stand closer to the drop).
Basically scare it out of the area and off the drop-off using one single
lighting of your torch (relight it by holding up your torch by the fire).
Find its fallen body (and the armor should now be gone); drop down onto it
while holding R1. Keep attacking its glyph as much as possible; you may
have to return to the torch area if you cannot defeat it in one round. If
you do need a second round, you can now just hop off the torch stands onto
its back without having to force it out of the temple area.
Hard Mode: Same strategy.
Tips: If you have a hard time killing this one, and would rather not try
to fight it out in the open, just hop down to trigger it to get up. As
it shakes itself off, make your way to the torch stands back up top and
use the torch stands to hop onto the colossus. This is safer only in that
you have safe spots to hide in (next to the torch stands).
COLOSSUS #12 (G-2; water battle)
Pelagia - Great Basilisk
Ride east of the temple, and locate a path leading north. Head toward a
bridge located at the bottom left corner of G-2. Go into the grove there
and hug your right side (I recommand not using your horse through wooded
areas). Eventually you will be lead out of the grove. Head left (north)
down the path along the mountainside until you reach what looks like a
waterfall. Do not fall into the water. Climb up the pillar nearby and
go around to the other side. Keep traveling up this path until you see a
patch of green grass growing on the side. You can drop down into the
water from here (if you hit the water too early, you may get sucked by
the water toward the waterfall -- and die. Anyway, head further north
and find a circular platform just above the water. Once you get up on it
a cutscene will ensue, triggering the next battle.
This fight is pretty easy, if you can dodge the ranged attacks. There
are white structures that resemble gazebos. Make your way to them. To
avoid getting hit, swim underwater (you swim faster). Then wait at one
of the white structures until the colossus gets near you. You can use
the circular stone and squat behind it for cover while you wait. Once it
reaches you, fire a few arrows at its head, and it will lower its head.
Run, jump, and grab onto its head. As its head rises, prepare a reverse
jump up onto the roof of the structure you were just at. The colossus
will then rise out of the water and plant its two front legs onto the
roof where you stand. Now run and jump onto its chest. Attack the glyph
and at about halfway through its health meter, it will crush the white
structure and return to the water. This is your cue to let go and find
another white structre. Repeat this process until you win.
The other option is to swim to its tail, and climb up its back. There
are some spots on its head you can attack to 'steer' it toward a white
structure, onto which you can jump. The rest is similar to the above
technique.
Hard Mode: Same strategy
COLOSSUS #13 (E-6; air battle over desert)
Phalanx - Trail Drifter
Find a stone-henge-like structure in the desert and get into the center
to trigger your next fight.
Shoot arrows at the three large sacs underneath the colossus to force
it down toward the grown. Now ride Agro and jump from Agro onto one of
its front fins. There are three glyph locations, each underneath one
of its dorsal fins. You have time to attak the front two in one round.
It will then dive back into the sand (hop off as you near the ground).
Just repeat the previous steps and you should be able to finish it off
the second round (third glyph is near the tail end).
Hard Mode: Same strategy.
COLOSSUS #14 (C-2; destroyed city battle)
Cenobia - Destruction Luster
Remember where you start because you'll end up back here. Just go into
the garden as much as you can and you'll trigger the fight. Find a
fallen column and hop onto it. Use nearby structures to continue climbing;
look for a standing column and hop toward it; climb it to the top and
just squat down (so you don't get knocked off). You will have to do this
for quite a few columns (until you make it back to the beginning). Just
prior to the last column is a structure that cannot be knocked down by
the colossus. You'll have to jump back onto this structure just prior to
the last column falling (otherwise you might get hurt as the last column
falls). Lure the colossus back to the starting point and eventually it
loses its armor. Now just hop onto its back from above.
Hard Mode: Same strategy
COLOSSUS #15 (G-1; coliseum battle)
Argus - The Sentinel
After you trigger the fight, find the lowest ledge (resembles a large,
rectangular grate) on the far left side. There is a ledge with steps
that's just out of jumping reach. Stand in front of it and face the
colossus. Wait for it to lift it's leg to stop you and then jump of the
way; the grate should be slightly lifted up; use this to hop up. Once up,
wait for the colossus to punch the walls and blocks will fall down. Use
them to climb higher up. (Some spots won't have useful blocks so look
around; I found the middel left side to be most useful). Make your way up
to the top and start crossing one of the beams at the very top; be careful
since the colossus will knock this down. Be ready to jump as the colossus
readies his attack to knock you off the beam. After the cutscene, use the
broken beam to hop onto the colossus. Once you clear the weak point, climb
down its right arm down to the elbow is and hit the weak spot there to make
him drop his sword. Now fall to the ground and try to get him to smash you.
Once he does so, latch onto his hand and finish him off.
Hard Mode: There is a new glyph, located on his left chest. This one is
tricky in that if you're unlucky, he thrashes a lot. If your colossus is
a thrasher, just make sure to get back up to his back so you can rest your
grip guage. It's better to be safe than sorry.
COLOSSUS #16 (F-8; finale)
Malus - Grand Gigas
Starting from the save point, jump across the ravine and onto the platform
using your horse (otherwise you won't make it). Because the camera can
screw you over, just hop onto your horse and press only the X button; let
the game do the rest and you'll make it across without problems. Climb the
area after the cutscene is over (look left and right if you think you're
stuck and you'll likely find a spot to climb). Once at the top, you have
to run through a gauntlet and dodge the colossus' attack. First, run up
the steps and quickly roll forward toward the fallen rocks just slight to
your right side. Pan the camera around and look for holes in the ground --
they are the start of tunnels. To get to them, you'll have to dodge the
attacks by making use of the structures between you and the colossus. (You
need to run and do a jumping roll at just the last second for most of them).
Once inside the colossus, make your way up. Eventually you'll reach a weak
spot on the back of the colossus; hit it and be ready to jump onto a hand
that comes reaching back there. Latch onto the hand and climb toward the
bottom of the hand; the camera will then put you in a spot where you can
quickly hop onto the forearm; head further up toward the bicep to find
another weak spot. Hit the weak spot and get ready to jump onto the other
hand. Once on the right hand, use your sword on the back of the right hand
once it seems level. This freezes the right hand and arm; quickly switch to
your arrows and shoot the furry spot on the shoulder of the colossus. This
brings the right hand toward the shoulder; hop off and onto the shoulder.
Go slightly around the back and up to the noggin.
Hard Mode: Same strategy
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TIME ATTACK MODES
================================================================================
To unlock Time Attack modes, beat either Normal or Hard Mode, and when you
are asked if you want to save, save your game in a new file. Then when you
have control of your character, walk up to a statue (inside the temple) of
the colossus you wish to fight, and press the O button.
Much of the strategy remains the same for Time Attack modes. However, you
are now required to defeat the colossus in a certain amount of time. Each
colossus has a different time requirement. Many of the colossi can be killed
well under the time limit (in Normal Mode). If you find that you cannot make
the required time, try the following tips:
CLIMBING
- if you must scale a colossus, it's better to used charge up your jumps
rather than to use your joystick to scale; if you use partially charged
jumps, you also use less of your grip guage; there _ARE_ a few instances
where you should just use the joystick -- e.g. #16's hands
- unless the colossus is bucking and flailing about, avoid gripping onto
it whenever you can (e.g. when you're standong on the back/shoulder area
of, say, #6)
- when you want to scale down the body of a colossus to a lower point onto
which you can grab, it's faster to just release R1 and fall down to that
point
- when scaling to the left or right, use side jumps (hold left/right on
the joystick as well as R1 and triangle -- to charge -- and then release
the triangle button)
MANAGING YOUR GRIP GUAGE
- your grip guage will either NOT decrease, or decrease slowly if you are
gripping onto the colossus at a fairly stable point; as an example, take
the head of #16 -- there are three areas: the forehead, the back, and
the top; the forehead and back are less stable because if you release
your grip, you will slide down whereas if you release your grip at the
top of his head, you will stand up
- it's always better to play it safe since you will save more time overall
by replenishing your grip as opposed to falling off and rescaling your
target
ATTACKING
- use jumping stabs whenever you can (jump by pressing and holding the
triangle button, then at the peak of your jump, press and hold R1 as
well as square)
- always attack from a more stable point (see above); not only will you
not lose as much grip, but in general the colossus will not react as
violently; if you're already hanging for dear life while you thrust
your sword, it will react very violently which takes off more of your
grip, thus improving its chances of knocking you off
- sometimes partially charged attacks are better than fully charged
attacks; some colossi can be stunned by even the slightest bruise and
open up the possibility for a fully charged attack (e.g. #11)
ITEMS OBTAINED
After every two successful time attacks, you will be given a special item
(and a cutscene indicating such). The effects are slightly hinted at once
you pick it up.
TIPS FOR GETTING WELL BELOW THE ALLOWED TIME (NORMAL MODE)
COLOSSUS #1
* at the start, whistle with X and he will turn around
* hop onto the left leg and stab with a half-charged stab
* use jumps to climb up all the way to its back; rest once on the lower
platform and partially as you walk up its back
* start the damage using a jumping stab; you can reduce the amount of
thrashing by holding on so that most of your body is closer to its
back side (the more stable your holding position the less it will
thrash)
COLOSSUS #2
* quickly switch to your bow and use R1 to auto-aim toward the beast;
release R1 so you can manually aim, and aim for the left hind leg;
with practice, you can hit the underneath part
* climb is back leg; start running on its back as soon as you can and
jump stab the glyph at the tail; if you want to use caution, you can
finish the tail section with charged stabs; otherwise just jump stabs
* as the glyph begins to glow brighter just before it darkens out, run
toward the head, jumping over the bones on the back where needed
* as you get to aboud the shoulder area, prepare a jumping stab for
the glyph at the head; he doesn't shake very hard so it's easy to
get three jump stabs here for faster time
COLOSSUS #3
* let it come to you; notice the light patch of grass between the two
of you; when it is close to reaching this spot, run at its feet and
go behind it, all while whistling with X
* stand at the center plate and don't move until you see its hand in
an almost vertical position; dive to the left side of the screen
* when you regain control, continue to move slightly further left of
the center plate and he should be just about to slam you again
* dodge left and then quickly run up the arm; juse jumps to climb up
toward the back -- you should not rest at all until you're up on
its back
*